Rescued Golden Retrievers Need Homes
Pleasantville resident Eileen McFadden has always opened her heart and her home to animals. As a child, she often enticed many of the neighborhood pets to come home with her, then tell her mother it was urgent that they take them in.
“My mother would say to me, ‘No, they belong to somebody. You have to give them back,’” McFadden recalled. “And I said, ‘No, they followed me home and they need me.’”
Today, there really are countless dogs that need McFadden help. For the past 19 years the McFadden has volunteered for Golden Re-triever Rescue, Inc., a nonprofit that was formed in New Jersey and also serves Westchester and Rockland counties to rescue and find homes for dogs of that breed. The last 12 years McFadden has served on its board of directors.
At McFadden’s prodding, the organization is part of an effort to rescue Golden Retrievers from Istanbul, Turkey, where an estimated 50,000 canines roam the streets or spend their lives in one of the city’s 32 municipal shelters. It is believed that 500 to 800 of those dogs are Golden Retrievers, she said.
On Sept. 13, 18 purebred Goldens are scheduled to land at Kennedy Airport, on their way to joining New York families that have adopted them.
McFadden said thousands of dogs are on the loose in Turkey because the customs for Muslims, which overwhelmingly comprise the country, do not allow dogs to live inside the house with a family. Dogs in Turkey have a specific purpose, such as serving as a guard dog. Most spend their lives outside, if they aren’t brought to a shelter.
“They live alongside people. They don’t live with people,” she said. “They live in doorways, they live in the woods, they live in courtyards. The restaurants feed them. They take scraps from the restaurants.”
McFadden, who is coordinating the effort for Golden Re-triever Rescue, heard about the problem after an Atlanta-based rescue learned of the situation through an American citizen who had traveled to Istanbul. Earlier this year, the Atlanta rescue, working with Turkish volunteers, brought over 51 dogs in two separate transports while appealing to dog rescue organizations throughout the United States for help.
When McFadden heard of the dire situation facing the dogs of Turkey, and Golden Retrievers in particular, she couldn’t sit idly by.
“I want them all out of there,” McFadden said. “It’s catching on. Atlanta was first. They’ve done two. I’m third. In October, the fourth one is going to be flying into Chicago.”
The dogs that are coming over have all been examined by veterinarians in Turkey and vaccinated. They will spend their first night at the American Legion in Thornwood, where McFadden’s husband was the former post commander. Then they’ll be headed to Grace Lane Kennel in Ossining the next morning until they can be examined by Ardsley Veterinary Associates, McFadden said.
Nearly all of the dogs arriving on Sept. 13 have homes, but there will be other opportunities for adoption. McFadden has arranged for another transport of Goldens to the area in early November.
While Golden Retrievers make excellent pets, there are restrictions for families looking to adopt, especially those from Turkey, McFadden said. They can’t go to a home with a child younger than eight years old; someone should be home at least part-time, if not full-time, to pay attention to them until acclimated; they should not go to a home with more than one other dog; and the family’s property needs to have a fenced in area.
Despite their poor living conditions in Turkey, the dogs are quite sociable. After an adjustment period, the ones that went to the Atlanta area have all acclimated to their new surroundings.
“All of them have been adopted and all of them are doing really well,” McFadden said. “They’re ‘Velcro dogs.’ They’re typical Golden Retrievers – they love people, they’re very social from living out in the streets and amongst the people. They bond immediately with their families.”
For more information on adoption or to volunteer or make donations, visit www.grrinj.org.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
